Conclusions

This concluding chapter returns to the point of departure of this volume: the central, but understudied role of coalitions in multilateral negotiations. The present volume addresses this research gap by examining a plurality of coalitions active in the climate regime, as well as exploring their developments over time. Four common themes and findings emerge from the various contributions; coalitions are context-specific and shape the negotiation dynamics as much as they are shaped by them. Coalitions are also sticky and tend to persist over time, although their level of activity and influence may vary across different negotiation periods. Coalitions also operate at different levels, such that we can speak of a “hierarchy” of coalitions, including both sub-coalitions and meta-coalitions. Finally, the proliferation of coalitions has resulted in multiple and overlapping coalition memberships, with positive and negative effects for the influence of individual countries and coalitions. We conclude this chapter by highlighting some open questions and ways forward for coalition research.